The annual meeting for the large Salesian Mission and Development Offices too place at New Rochelle from 28 to 30 May. The event involved the four from Bonn, Madrid, New Rochelle and Turin. Fr Václav Klement, Missions Councillor, Fr Stanislaw Rafałko, member of the department, and Bro Claudio Marangio, Economer General. Fr George Menamparampil from New Delhi, appointed procurator last year by Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga, Councillor for South Asia Region, was there for the first time. Nine Salesians and four lay collaborators looked at the situation of Salesian mission solidarity and considered new projects.
Room was also given to Fr Menamparampil to present the directions taken by Salesians in India towards self-sustainability. In the South Asia area Salesian institutes and organisations are one of the broadest networks intervening on behalf of the poorer levels of society, with particular attention to young. Street children and slum projects, other projects for drop-outs, differently-abled, drug dependent, HIV sufferers, rural populations and illiteracy are all important.
Fr Menamparampil explained how these interventions, up until now supported by generous contributions from various Western organisations, now require new forms of financial support because of the rapid changes experienced in the world economy. The journey towards self-sustainability sees the involvement of each local institution, project or work, in collecting the funds needed for its own activities; at a national level they are setting up an office which can guarantee the realisation of Salesian institutional aims.
The chief topic of the meeting was the evaluations and consolidation of a Salesian system of mission solidarity, a direction taken over recent years and which principally involves the Mission and Development Offices.
The first reconstruction projects for buildings in Haiti were presented. Fr Agustin Pacheco, accompanied by Mr Eduardo Jimenez, presented the plans for the new Province Centre and House of Formation at Fleuriot.
Fr Klement, assisted by some members of the “Salesian Lay Missionaries” (SLM) from New Rochelle, then presented the animation material in preparation for the Salesian Mission Day 2011 which will feature young mission volunteers.
The participants at the New Rochelle meeting visited the “Maryknoll” Mother House This Society of Apostolic Life has religious and lay people involved in the missions.
Published 04/06/2010
